


Nightmare Neighbours

by ArthurAlbion, EverettGrendel



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArthurAlbion/pseuds/ArthurAlbion, https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverettGrendel/pseuds/EverettGrendel
Summary: A drabble in response to the prompt: "Nightmare neighbours maybe fall in love?" Very soft.
Relationships: Link/Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Nightmare Neighbours

A thud reverberated dully through the wooden beams above Sheik’s head and jerked him into consciousness. He sat upright with his knife in hand faster than the eye could follow. The Sheikah crouched on his mattress listening intently to the unsteady footfalls overhead, tracking them as they stumbled across the room. There were a few other thumps and clangs as the person dropped heavy items repeatedly and moved things around.

Sheik’s eyes drifted to the window as he watched the flickering yellow light pool on the ground outside from the window upstairs. His breath was silent as he listened to the trickle of water being poured into a porcelain basin followed by the gentle hisses of a pained voice and the ripping of fabric. After what felt like an eternity, the light went out and the footsteps shuffled slowly back across the room to a stop, the flump of a body into a bed, and then silence.

The peace of night returned as the traveller finally settled into their room. Despite this calm, an uneasy weight lingered in the pit of Sheik’s stomach. The air outside lacked the usual chirps of the restless crickets. Pointed ears twitched as Sheik caught the almost inaudible sounds of laboured breathing.

Sheik slowly sheathed his blade and stepped off the bed, footsteps light as feathers. He was too familiar with the sounds of the wounded and his curiosity needed sating. Slipping out the window, Sheik scaled the ropelike ivy on the side of the building and peeped into the room above his own.

The moon was more than enough to light the darkness to Sheik’s trained eyes. He had no trouble seeing the figure curled into itself on the mattress. The room was a mess. The floor was littered with armour and weapons, the chair at the table in the corner was pushed out crookedly, and the table was cluttered with bundles of bloody cloth and insufficient medical supplies judging from the amount of blood loss. Sheik’s red eyes returned to the figure on the bed and his breath caught in his throat as he suddenly placed the person there.

Quickly, he unlatched the window and climbed through to approach the bed. Golden bangs were matted with sweat and blood. The cloth poorly wrapped around Link’s temple was already bleeding through again. His face was also speckled with dirt mixed with the blood for a rather unsanitary muddy effect. Definitely not a look for a night out.

Most of Link’s efforts seemed to have been focused on stemming the flow of blood from a deep shoulder wound. A poorly wrapped bandage was also bleeding through from the looks of it. Sheik pulled it back just enough to determine it was an arrow wound. It looked to have missed the shoulder blade, but it would still take time to heal properly. It would have to, else Link might never shoot another arrow himself. Shifting the bandage back into place, red eyes tracked their way down the Hero’s torso. There were numerous open cuts that had the look of a Lizal sword to them, Link was lucky they hadn’t been dipped in Tektite venom, as well as several deep bruises forming. Sheik wondered if he had been hit with something blunt, or if this was perhaps from a fall during the fight.

With a sigh, the Sheikah turned to the table as he mentally cursed the reckless Hero. Whatever he had gotten himself into, he clearly didn’t have enough supplies to adequately treat his injuries.

Sheik didn’t bother with the window. He swiped Link’s room key from the table and tread lightly back to his own room for more supplies. He returned within moments and organised the mess on the table after relighting the small candle. When he turned to face the bed he was unsurprised to see pained blue eyes watching him work. Link didn’t look nearly as alarmed as he should have after someone climbed into his window. Sheik could have easily slit his throat in his sleep, but the naive Hero seemed to trust him completely. Sheik couldn’t understand it.

Saving the lecture for later, Sheik pulled the chair up to the bed. Link seemed content with this unspoken arrangement and endeavoured to cooperate, remaining still and shifting only when Sheik instructed. The sky was beginning to brighten with the early dawn light when Sheik finally sat back against the chair. All the dirt on Link’s face and arms had been gently washed away. The arrow wound had been disinfected then rebandaged, along with all the other larger slashes. The clotted blood on his head had been cleaned and a square piece of gauze had been taped in place. Yellow hair looked yellow again. There was little Sheik could do for the obviously broken ribs. Those would have to heal on their own.

Sheik surveyed his work before he finally allowed his gaze to meet Link’s tired eyes. The exhaustion was clear, but there seemed to be a bit less pain in that blue gaze.

“It seems you were rather fortunate I happened to be passing through this area as well,” the Sheikah finally spoke. Disappointment leaked into his voice in an effort to conceal his worry. “I know not what you felt worthy of your time and investigation, Hero, but it could not have been so important as to make such a rash abandonment of your own personal safety permissible.”

Sheik leant in, the upset in his expression obvious even despite the cowl. “I must ask you to take better care with yourself, Link. Please.”

Blue eyes lowered in apology. The silence of the moment and the gravity of the situation hovered between them until Sheik exhaled the breath they had both been holding. Sheik was angry, but above all, he was worried for Link. Link was too prone to throwing himself into the path of unnecessary danger. Sheik worried too much to be acceptable for his position in this war, but he silently chided himself: Hyrule came first. Link was the Champion of all Hyrule. The Champion of the Princess, Sheik reminded himself. Link dutifully followed through with her every command, as was his role by her side. A sword for her to wield. 

Sheik jumped up sending the chair scraping back along the floorboards. He glared at his hands as he washed them in the basin. Such thoughts were unhelpful. Hands dry, he began to pack up the supplies still strewn across the table.

“You will remain here to rest and recover your strength. To ride with broken ribs is the death wish of a fool. I will see to the expenses of the room as well as your horse. You-”

Words cut off abruptly as he felt a hand brush against his side. Link was half-sitting up on the bed doing his best to reach out to the Sheikah. Despite the pain in his eyes with the movement and the way he looked like he might fall asleep at any second, the desire expressed was louder than any spoken word.

This was beyond foolish. Sheik had made every effort to avoid being discovered as he assisted Link in his quest. Any hint they knew each other at all would jeopardise his cover as one of Ganondorf’s most loyal servants. The life of a double agent was risky enough, and too much depended on Link’s success. Sheik would not allow himself to be distracted. Or to become a distraction.

Against his better judgement, Sheik sat. “What is it?”

Link grunted in pain as he pushed himself up to lean against the wall. Breathing hard, he held up one hand to hover in the air as if cupping something. The other hand moved as if plucking at invisible strings.

Sheik shook his head. “My lyre is in my room.”

Link glanced at the window, then raised his eyebrows. A challenge.

“No. You must rest, and I must disturb you no more.” The Sheikah moved to stand once more.

Link was already moving as he shifted one leg over the edge of the bed. As if he intended to get the lyre himself at Sheik’s refusal. Sheik really did jump to his feet this time, a hand immediately on Link’s good shoulder to stop the Hero. It would have been easy to wrestle Link back into the bed, but Sheik had not come here to aggravate existing injuries.

“Do not dare,” he sighed. “If I play for you, will you please sleep?”

Link nodded a little too smug.

“Remain here. Hero.” _Bastard._

He did not want to think about exactly why he was humouring the Hero as he slipped out of the room once more. He hesitated as he climbed the steps when something crashed outside. Link was lying in bed once more by the time he returned. A good sign of cooperation, though the chair had vanished from the room. Link pat the bed in response to Sheik’s bewilderment.

Eyebrows narrowed, Sheik sat on the edge of the bed. With the lyre propped against his hip, he paused to consider the songs he knew. None of the Warp Songs seemed sufficient, and he didn’t fancy the idea of playing the Hero a medley of Sheikah music. Considering the notes, he composed in his head as he began to pluck at the strings. Something worthy of the Hero, just for his ears. The lilting notes floated in the room around them.

Sheik lost himself as he focused on the music until a sudden banging on the door startled them both. Link hissed at his own involuntary movement and the music was cut off on a jangle of notes as his hand scraped across the strings to reach for his blade.

“Will you shut up?! Stomping around and breaking furniture and now that infernal racket! I don’t care if it’s your honeymoon night! _Some_ people would like to sleep!”

Sheik forced his fingers to uncurl from the knife. “My sincere apologies, but we are not-”

“I don’t care! Just shut the fuck up! Been up all damn night-!” The footsteps stomped away and the tirade of expletives went with them.

Sheik felt a bit warm under his cowl, but he scowled as he glanced at Link. Link, however, was shaking in silent laughter with tears in his eyes.

“This is your fault,” Sheik said bitterly as he suppressed a smile.

Link openly grinned in reply.


End file.
